Duluth, Minn. (15 July 2015) – Cirrus Aircraft today announced expanded company leadership roles of two key executives as it shapes its business for continued growth. Todd Simmons has been promoted to President, Customer Experience and Pat Waddick has been named President, Innovation and Operations. Simmons and Waddick will report to Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dale Klapmeier.
“The future is bright for Cirrus Aircraft employees, partners and all Cirrus pilots around the world as we have so many reasons to be excited about the trajectory of the company,” said Klapmeier. “As we accelerate our growth, we recognize the importance of both delivering the most innovative new products in aviation and in providing a lifetime of world-class customer experience for our owners and operators. Today we are aligning our executive team with these two guiding principles. Pat and Todd bring great experience, energy and passion to their new roles and both Cirrus and the industry are fortunate to be able to capitalize on their leadership as we navigate the course ahead,” Klapmeier added.
In his new role, Simmons will lead all Customer Experience activities at Cirrus Aircraft including sales, marketing, personalization, delivery, service and support, flight training, flight operations and the opening of the Vision Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. “With first customer deliveries of the Vision Jet just ahead, we are taking advantage of this inflection point to expand the depth and breadth of our customer organization,” said Simmons. “Our goal is not only to deliver a world-class aircraft ownership experience, but to fundamentally reinvent how we provide that experience so that we exceed benchmarks from any industry, aviation included.” Simmons added, “The Vision Center, which we recently announced, is further evidence of our commitment to big ideas and transformational thinking.”
Waddick will lead enterprise-wide Innovation and Operations activities including research and development, engineering, program management, manufacturing operations, global supply chain and quality. Waddick echoed the importance of growth at Cirrus, “Innovation and the customer experience have always been integral to our roots and our mission. These changes further strengthen our commitment to deliver market-leading new aircraft products and services and also highlight the innovative leadership style unique at Cirrus. With the launch of the Vision Jet and expansion underway in Duluth to fully leverage our R&D and manufacturing capability, these moves have us well-positioned for the path ahead.”
Todd Simmons and the Customer Experience team will be located at the Vision Center, scheduled to open in mid-2016. Waddick will lead operations from Cirrus Aircraft Global Headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota.
For more information visit cirrusaircraft.com.
About Cirrus Aircraft
Cirrus Aircraft is a recognized leader in general aviation. Its all-composite line of personal aircraft – the SR20, SR22 and the turbocharged SR22T – incorporate innovative and advanced performance, electronic and safety technologies, including Cirrus Perspective™ by Garmin® avionics and the unique Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®). To date, total time on the worldwide Cirrus Aircraft SR-series fleet surpassed seven million flight hours with 107 people returned to their families as a direct result of CAPS being a standard safety feature on all Cirrus aircraft. The Cirrus Vision SF50®, with over 550 production positions reserved, will provide a new personal and regional business transportation solution: the personal jet. The Vision Center in Knoxville, TN will be the flagship location for all Cirrus Aircraft Customer Experience activities including sales, delivery, training, maintenance, support, personalization, fixed base operations and more. All Cirrus aircraft are made in the U.S. with a direct sales force in North America and authorized sales centers covering export markets in 60 countries around the world. Cirrus Aircraft is wholly owned by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd (CAIGA). For additional information on Cirrus and its products please visit cirrusaircraft.com.
CONTACT: Ben Kowalski, Vice President, Marketing +1.218.788.3435